The Best Deceptions
by belle2904
Summary: After Bella's near-miss with Tyler Crowley's van, Edward and Bella both walk away with more questions than answers. In this universe, nothing is as it seems, and Bella wasn't the only one who received a surprise that day.
1. I Caught Myself

**I Caught Myself**

She turned to look at him, and their gazes held from across the parking lot. He fought with himself, tried to keep his face impassive when all he really wanted to do was smile at her. It was endlessly annoying how one look from her incited within him the urge to grin like a buffoon. Yet it was how she affected him, every single time.

Instead of smiling, however, instead of being impassive, he was pretty sure he was glowering which explained the furrow that indented her brow and the subsequent feeling that he was being a jerk.

The wind blew and he breathed in a lungful of her scent. His throat burned – the human equivalent to hunger pains in his gut. And just like that he envisioned himself next to her, grabbing her and leaning her over the crook of his arm. Her head would fall, exposing her throat. His head would dip, falling closer and closer to her soft, pale skin, pulsating with life. It was the classic position of all vampire kisses, after all. He could hear her blood pumping through her veins; he could smell it, nearly feel its warmth. And as his lips drew nearer, he found that he'd utterly rejected the idea of sinking his teeth into her and spilling her blood. Instead, it was a brush of lips, tender and mild against her throat – a gesture of innocence and love.

Edward jerked himself from the reverie. It was ridiculous to fantasize that way. The alternative universe that existed in his head would never come to fruition. He could never trust himself to be that close to her, to touch her in such a way. He wanted to love her in every way – every human way – possible, yet he was no longer human, and thus his desires were impossible.

So, he'd love her from afar. And make her think he was disinterested.

She had yet to get inside that pitiful excuse for a truck. It was a disaster waiting to happen. It was a miracle that she even made it to school each day. Her ears were plugged, music streaming from her lime green iPod. He could hear the music, and recognized the singer's voice and the lyrics by Taking Back Sunday. Her lips moved just slightly as she sang the song silently to herself. He smiled at that, another endearing characteristic for him to fall in love with.

"Oh, look, he's staring at Bella again."

Edward slowly turned his head. Emmett had arm slung around Alice's slender shoulders, and his head was bent low, just inches away from her ear. He had whispered the words that had caused his sister to smile, meant only for her, but Edward had heard them anyway. And Emmett knew that. Edward gave him an acerbic smile but said nothing else. It would only serve to humor him. Instead he took a step towards the car, intent on heading home and getting as far away from Bella and her delicious scent as was possible when you lived in a small town and had overtly heightened senses.

A sudden, terrified gasp from Alice halted him. Her vision assaulted him as he effortlessly peered into her mind. His cold hands furled into fists, and the next instant his ears rang with the sound of squealing tires. The putrid scent of burning rubber assailed his senses.

His head jerked around. He saw her brace herself against her truck. She stood out stark against the red paint of the hood, her expression one of shock, fear, and a flicker of indecision. Then, he lost sight of her – the girth of the van looming in his sight.

And he was moving, utterly sightless to those around him. He rounded the back the van, and in comparison to his speed, it looked to be inching its way towards her. He saw her. She'd fallen to a crouch, her face pale. One hand was upraised in a feeble attempt to stop the impact.

Edward lunged. His knees skidded against the cold ground, the denim ripping, he was sure. His arm wrapped around her, already pulling her out of the way. He, too, lifted his hand and turned his head to watch the impact of the truck as—

It collided with neither his hand nor hers. Instead it crushed into an all-encompassing orb, luminous and beautiful as it birthed from the palm of her hand.

The van stopped and with it both of their breaths. Slowly, he turned his head to stare at her, and she him. He was certain his eyes mirrored hers – disbelief, wonder, confusion. A true _what the fuck_ moment, as Emmett was fond of saying.

He heard her swallow. A moment later, the brilliance dimmed around them, then disappeared altogether. The orb vanished, returning to the center of her hand. He opened his mouth to speak, but the only sound to be heard were the frantic cries of the student body as they raced towards them.

Impulsively, he stood, and jumped over the cab of the truck in a motion that no one saw. As everyone swarmed around her, he arrived silently back to the others. Their thoughts bombarded him. He felt their eyes, heard the accusatory tones of their minds' voice. He could not speak, could barely form a coherent thought as he tried to get a grasp on just what the hell had happened.

"Edward," Alice spoke. Her voice, usually whimsical and uplifting, was marred with concern and confusion. She was questioning herself and what she'd witnessed in her vision. She relied on him for clarification, for answers. "What was that?"

He looked over his shoulder and was able to discern the top of Bella's head over the crowd of people that surrounded her. He heard them overwhelming her with questions. He heard Tyler's inadequate apologies, and yet he heard nothing from Bella herself. His gaze finally returned to Alice and he swallowed once before opening the car door.

"I don't know."


	2. Behind Those Eyes

**Chapter Two**

**Behind Those Eyes**

_And the next instant, he was gone_.

Bella barely felt the tightening cuff on her arm as the nurse apathetically checked her blood pressure. Her mind was running in seven different directions at high speed as she recalled what exactly had happened in the parking lot a half an hour before. He was there, and then he wasn't. His arm had been around her, and then it was gone.

But he _had___been there, right beside her, she was certain of it.

Because she'd never forget the look in his eyes when he stared at her, shocked at what he'd just witnessed.

She groaned aloud, and the nurse peered at her from behind her glasses with concern. Bella bit her lip and then slowly shook her head. "I'm just embarrassed," she murmured. The nurse smiled kindly and patted her hand.

"The doctor will be with you in a moment."

Feeling suddenly exhausted, Bella scrubbed her face with shaky hands. He'd seen her. He'd seen what she did, and he would undoubtedly have questions.

Her hands dropped to her lap, and her brows furrowed together. Well, she had some questions of her own. Just how in the hell did he get to her so quickly when she had just seen him standing at the other end of the parking lot? And just _what_ had he planned on doing when he'd raised his hand to the van?

Edward had tried to protect her, she knew. She shuddered, not unpleasantly, as she remembered his arm wrapping around her and pulling her to his solid chest. His body language and actions had conveyed the message perfectly: he was being heroic. Bella nibbled on her bottom lip. What would have happened had she not stopped the truck herself?

"_Bella_."

She twisted around when the doors to the ER room swung open and Charlie stormed in. Seeing the worry and fear in on his face nearly broke her heart. "I'm fine, Dad," she hurried. Her voice was firm, and she needed him to hear that, so that he'd know she wasn't lying. "It was just a close call, that's all."

He loomed over her. His hands were outstretched as if he were intending to touch her, to find out for himself if she was okay, but he hesitated. Then, he stuffed his hands into his coat pockets. The worry lines in his brow did not smooth over. "Are you sure?" he demanded hoarsely. "Has anyone been in to check on you?"

She nodded and hitched a thumb over her shoulder. "The nurse just left. She said the doctor will be in soon. Not that I need one," she hinted, her expression hopeful.

"You're not leaving until you see the doctor, Bella." Charlie tried for a stern voice. He failed. He sighed then, and this time, he did touch her – a gentle, surprisingly comforting squeeze of her shoulder. "What happened?"

_Excellent question_, she inwardly mused. She kept her face blank as she answered, "What I'm sure you've heard." She tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear and stared up at her father. "Tyler lost control of his van on a patch of ice. It careened towards me, and I…"

_Stopped it from squishing me with my handy-dandy shimmery orb? Not very likely._ Suddenly, she found herself back in the school parking lot, crouched against the tire of her truck. It had scared her, seeing that Edward was suddenly gone and that she had remained unscathed. While there were no more than two feet between herself and Tyler's van, there was still a massive dent in the other vehicle. The dent did not conform to the shape of her body, and thus should not have been there at all.

Unsure of what else to do, she had crawled from between the two cars, and by the time everyone reached her she was able to pretend that she had dodged out of the way. Hopefully they'd attribute the pronounced dent as coming from the impact of her truck.

Thankfully, no one had seemed to notice it yet, and she hoped it stayed that way.

"Bella?" he prompted, and it occurred to her she hadn't completed her thought.

She shook her head. "And, I just… jumped out of the way," she finished asininely.

Charlie's hand gripped her other shoulder, his eyes boring into hers. She kept her gaze carefully blank, cursing the fact that they were her most expressive feature. "Did you hit your head, Bells?" he asked warily. "You don't sound like yourself."

"I'm feeling a little… churned up, that's all. It's not every day I see a multi-ton vehicle skidding uncontrollably in my direction."

Unconvinced, Charlie straightened and stared hard at the swinging doors, as if he was willing someone to walk through it. "Where is that doctor?"

The doors swung open wide. "I hear we have the Chief's daughter as a patient."

Bella blinked. It'd worked.

"Dr. Cullen," Charlie breathed, relieved. "I think she hit her head."

Irritated, Bella growled, "Dad, I'm fine—" and then it occurred to her what he had said.

"Bella, let the man do his job."

"Dr. Cullen?" she choked, and stared up at the pale-faced, kind eyed man as he flashed a penlight in her eyes.

"That would be me," he quipped and held up his finger. "Follow, please."

She stared straight ahead.

"Bella…" her father urged.

"Dr. Cullen." She stated again, idiotically.

Charlie groaned. "I think she has a concussion."

Dr. Cullen's laugh had her leaning in closer to him, until she realized what she was doing and straightened sharply. "I think you're daughter's fine, Chief Swan. She just needs—"

"You're Edward's father."

His gaze flickered back to hers, suddenly as impassive as Edward's had been. "Yes, I am." His voice was soft, kind – incongruous with his gaze. "Do you share a class with him?"

"He was there," she told him. "He was with me when—" She stopped suddenly, knowing that she couldn't admit that, not without inciting questions or before she could get her own answers. "He was in the parking lot. He saw the whole thing."

"The entire school saw the whole thing, Bella," Charlie reminded her gently. Then he looked at Dr. Cullen anxiously. "Do you think she needs to stay overnight?"

Their answers were the same, though Bella's was more emphatic. "No."

Dr. Cullen chuckled again and squeezed her warm, soft hand in his hard, cold one. "No, she's fine," he elaborated. "Just make sure she takes it easy. I would advise her not to do any cartwheels when she gets home."

Bella smirked despite her embarrassment at the very idea. "I'm not that graceful."

Charlie commiserated, "It's true."

With an easy smile, one that chased the secretive look from his eyes, Dr. Cullen turned to Charlie and clapped him on the back. "She's free to go," he grinned. "Call if she starts acting oddly."

"More so than usual?"

Bella rolled her eyes. Dr. Cullen silently left the room. Charlie tenderly gripped her elbow and helped her off the examination bed. "Are you sure you're all right, Bells?"

"Daad," she breathed, exasperated. "I'm fine. Seriously, okay? Seriously."

"Okay," he sighed, still looking horribly unconvinced, but there was nothing she could do about that. He shifted his weight uneasily between one foot and the other. Then, in a nervous gesture she had memorized during her two weeks a year visits with him, he scratched his eyebrow. "You might… maybe you ought to call your mom."

Bella heaved a slow breath and then released it. "Please tell me you did not tell her."

"I did not tell her," he parroted obediently, his face sheepish.

"Daad." She was whining, she knew it, but she hated that he'd called Renee. Now it would be hell trying to convince her that she didn't need an extended stay in the hospital. "Why did you do that?"

He tried the stern thing again. "She's your mother. She has a right to know."

"She's an alarmist."

Charlie scratched his eyebrow again. "Well, there is that." He squeezed his eyes shut, opened them again. "I'm sorry. Just – call her anyway. I have to fill out some paper work. It may take a while."

She glowered at him. "Convenient."

They exited the room together and then quickly went their separate ways. Bella dug her hand into her pocket and retrieved her cell phone. She began to dial her mother's number when the sound of muffled – yet very familiar – voices reached her ears.

Her head shot up; at the end of the hall stood Dr. Cullen, Rosalie, and Edward. A moment later, they all met her gaze.

_Oooh, shit._

Stiffly, she pivoted on her heel and started walking in the opposite direction. The very last thing she needed right now was a possible confrontation with Edward Cullen. She had taken maybe three steps when her name was called and a hard hand clasped her elbow.

She spun around, the speed of the movement making her dizzy, and she wavered slightly. Another hand gripped her right elbow to steady her. Her eyes focused on the open V of Edward's button up shirt.

"Whoa," she breathed once the world stopped spinning.

"Bella."

Her eyes slowly traveled up the expanse of his throat, his chin, his nose until they finally settled on his eyes. Determined eyes. Eyes that wanted answers. She swallowed.

He stared hard at her, his jaw clenched. His hands dropped to his sides, severing contact and leaving her feeling oddly bereft. "Bella," he ground out again. Finally, he straightened his shoulders, his gaze never leaving hers, and asked the question that made her blood run cold:

"What are you?"


End file.
